Flooring assemblies comprising flooring elements configured to be joined together to form finished floors having acoustic, sound-attenuating properties meeting or surpassing building sound code requirements (STC and IIC ratings) are highly desirous in the building industry. These codes require a high degree of suppression of sound transmissions between floors of buildings. Conventionally employed flooring elements may comprise multi-layer composite laminates having acoustic, sound-attenuating properties adapted for attachment thereof to subfloor substrates.
The most common forms of attachment to subfloors of floor assemblies constructed of conventional flooring elements are mechanical in nature; i.e., nails, staples, bolts, screws, and the like. The penetration of the acoustic, sound-attenuating portions of these laminates with such rigid attachment elements, however, provide sound bridges which result in the direct transmission of vibrational energy, particularly sound energy, through the acoustic layer, thereby deleteriously affecting the sound-attenuating properties thereof. This vibrational energy typically manifests as noise, in particular, low-frequency noise.
The effects of these noise transmitting rigid attachment elements are particularly objectionable in multi-unit buildings, such as condominiums, apartment buildings, and the like. For example, if two units of the multi-unit building, such as a first dwelling area and a second dwelling area located immediately above the first dwelling area, are separated by flooring assemblies attached to the budding structure with sound-bridging mechanical attachment elements, vibrations generated in the second area are transmitted to the first area as noise or other sounds, thereby disturbing the enjoyment of the first area.
It is an object of the present invention to provide thinner and more economical flooring assemblies comprising flooring elements configured to be joined together to form finished floors having acoustic, sound-attenuating properties which are capable of being attached to building structures such as subfloor substrates in a one-step installation process without creating vibrational energy transmitting sound bridges through the acoustic portions thereof, even where the flooring assemblies are mechanically attached to structures.